University of Phoenix honored for support of women, minorities

University of Phoenix has been recognized by the Arizona Million Dollar Circle of Excellence for its exceptional efforts to support Arizona minority-owned and woman-owned suppliers. The University has been inducted as an inaugural member of the Arizona Million Dollar Circle of Excellence by the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (AZHCC).

“As an Arizona-based business, we view supporting minority- and women-owned businesses as an essential part of our business structure,” said Dominique K. Brown, University of Phoenix corporate diversity officer. “We are thrilled to be recognized by the Arizona Million Dollar Circle of Excellence and we look forward to continuing to work with a diverse group of suppliers and businesses across the state of Arizona.”

The creation of the AZHCC’s Arizona Million Dollar Circle of Excellence was inspired by the state’s increasingly diverse consumer base and the fast-growing diversity at every level of its business community. The Circle of Excellence initiative recognizes major corporations and governmental entities that directly spend at least $1 million in purchasing goods or services from minority-owned and women-owned businesses in Arizona.

University of Phoenix was honored alongside 14 other notable Arizona businesses and organizations with an induction ceremony at the recent 2012 Minority Business Enterprise Summit, which was organized by the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Phoenix MBDA Business Center, a U.S. Department of Commerce-financed organization aimed at securing large public and private contracts and financing transactions for eligible minority-owned businesses.

“The induction of University of Phoenix and other inaugural members of the Arizona Million Dollar Circle of Excellence is a historic step that reflects how our state’s economy is growing due to the influence of minority- and women-owned businesses,” said Gonzalo A. de la Melena Jr., President and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which organizes and runs the Arizona Million Dollar Circle of Excellence. “This is our way of recognizing companies that are leading the way in supplier diversity.”

This latest acknowledgement of University of Phoenix’s commitment to diverse communities in Arizona comes at the heels of a recent report by the magazine Diverse: Issues in Higher Education that University of Phoenix graduates more minority students than any other university in the United States.